Letter to our campers

June 3rd, 2020

This letter was sent out to our campers on May 28, 2020.

To our Netop campers,

We know that you are disappointed to hear that Netop is not running this summer. This decision
does not come lightly and was one of the hardest we’ve ever had to make. We know that Netop
was a beacon of hope these past few months and we have devoted our time towards answering
the question of whether we “could” operate this summer because of the love we have for our
Netop family.

Your health and safety is the top priority for us and we hope you can understand the reasons
why we had to make this difficult choice. The changes that we would have had to implement this
year to keep you safe would have greatly impacted the heart, soul and spirit of Netop.

The Netop experience is a lot of things – it’s learning to sail on Birch Pond, watching silly skits
around the campfire, helping your tribe with a successful stick showing and enjoying a well-earned Netop sundae. But it’s also the community-building and group bonding; it’s a one-camp
vibe that blends our different age groups and cultures into one welcoming, inclusive and
confidently silly family. This is such a huge aspect of our program and it’s the biggest thing that
the virus prevents us from accomplishing. It would be difficult and tough to not wrap your arm
around your best friend at chapel, share a game of chess or ping-pong or enjoy a high-five at
the summit of Mt. Katahdin.

We understand that this is going to be tough. You are going to feel a lot of things – sadness,
frustration, anger, disappointment. We are in this together and we will get through this together.
The shores of Birch Pond will be waiting for you in summer 2021.

As we suspend our in-person programs, we will continue to navigate ways to stay connected as
a Netop community. You will be hearing more from us as we create opportunities to engage with
you throughout the summer and into next year. We are also hard at work for summer 2021 – rest
assured that our Senior IIs will be welcomed back for their final camper summer along with our
other enrolled campers.

Please email us at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you and see how you are doing.

In the meantime, we will keep the campfires burning for you until 2021.

Lisa, Tom and Steve

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